All of us at Eagle Dynamics thank you for your incredible support and commitment in 2023 and wish you and your loved ones health, happiness and prosperity in 2024. Happy New Year!
2023 was an important year for DCS. Many issues such as performance were addressed with the launch of multithreading and DLSS/FSR. Efforts will continue into 2024 with further tuning and enhancements, especially in VR. This week we look toward 2024, safe in the knowledge that there are great things to come. Please check out our 2024 and Beyond video and enjoy!Whereas the 2023 focus of Eagle Dynamics was primarily on DCS core improvements like multithreading, DLSS/FSR, Voice Chat, and bug fixes, our partners had an exciting year that included new products like the F-15E Strike Eagle, new Mirage F1 versions, the Normandy 2 and Sinai maps, and many fantastic campaigns.
2024 promises to be an eventful year with many projects in development such as the full fidelity MiG-29A Fulcrum, CH-47F Chinook, F6F Hellcat, and the Afghanistan, Iraq, and Marianas World War II maps. Our 3rd party partners are working diligently on the F-4E Phantom II, A-7E Corsair II, MiG-23 Flogger, C-130 Hercules, F4U Corsair, La-7, OH-58D Kiowa, and the Kola map.Let’s take a brief look at the new aircraft under development in 2024, in no particular order. Detailed specifications and features will be listed for each product during each product announcement as we get closer to the release.
Much of the 2023 CH-47F work focused on the creation of the external model, cockpit/cargo models as well as systems and FM. The model now accurately reflects a US Army CH-47 from the mid-2000s. Much of the work now involves the finalisation of the flight dynamics and flight control system, along with the many multi-function display pages and sub-pages. As with all DCS aircraft since the Ka-50, the CH-47 will have fully modelled electrical, hydraulic, fuel, and other systems that exist within the simulation as “live” systems to manage voltage, pressure, flow rates, temperatures and all other operational systems. To support advancements in the DCS logistical system, the CH-47F will also be equipped with cargo and sling management capabilities as well as defensive gun positions.
Also started in 2023, the Hellcat has made great progress. When creating the external model, internal structural modelling was created to provide a very accurate and realistic structure in order to enhance damage modelling. The flight model development is in full swing, and it is being created to match first-hand knowledge of its handling and performance in cooperation with The Fighter Collection.
The Hellcat will not exist in a vacuum though, and Pacific Theater of Operations (PTO) opponent aircraft are already in development, as well PTO specific ground and naval forces.
We are excited to announce our first full fidelity 4th generation Russian fighter: the MiG-29A Fulcrum! The Fulcrum has been a massively successful, single-seat fighter that was developed to counter the F-15, F/A-18, and F-16 during the height of the Cold War. Today, it serves numerous armed forces, and will fill an important role in DCS.
Based on publicly available manuals, the DCS Fulcrum will be a 1980s era MiG-29, but it will still be a potent threat to other DCS aircraft with its array of radar- and infrared-guided missiles, its 30mm cannon, and unguided air-to-ground weapons. In the right hands, the MiG-29 can be a tough opponent with its Helmet Mounted Sight paired with high-off boresight R-73 air-to-air missiles.
2024 will also be a great year for new maps. Our Terrain Development Kit (TDK) continues to grow in capabilities each year, and these new maps will leverage these features to create the best maps yet.
First hinted at a year ago, we are happy to confirm that an Afghanistan map is coming to DCS. A flash point spanning thousands of years, Afghanistan served as the backdrop to two of the largest conflicts in living memory. More focused on Counterinsurgency (COIN) warfare than large force-on-force battles, the Afghanistan map will bring a new mode of warfare to DCS battles and our most popular aircraft like the AH-64D, Mi-24P, A-10C, Su-25, F-16C, F/A-18C, will be great mission choices.
We are also excited to announce an Iraq map coming to DCS. From Operation Desert Storm and Iraqi Freedom to the War on Terror, Iraq has been one of the most significant flash points of the late-20th and early 21st centuries. The Iraq map will initially be centred on Baghdad to best provide War-on-Terror and War on Isis scenarios. Later, the map will be expanded south to provide older scenarios like Operations Desert Storm and Iraqi Freedom.
To support the DCS: F6F Hellcat and other PTO aircraft and units coming to DCS, we have been adapting the current Marianas for the past year and into 2024. The map is based on painstakingly researched documents, photos, and accounts of the Mariana Islands in the summer of 1944, at the time of the Battle of the Marianas between the United States and Imperial Japan. This will be a free map that leverages our latest TDK for improved performance and realism.
In parallel with these new product efforts, we will be focusing on continued development of existing modules such as, but not limited to, the F-16C, F/A-18C, AH-64D, and Supercarrier.
